No matter how you slice it, 2012 was an annus horribilis for the Liberal political brand in Canada.

Irrespective of the type of liberalism offered, Canadians rejected both the brand and its messengers — Jean Charest in Quebec, who lost power, and Dalton McGuinty in Ontario, who was reduced to a minority government and has since announced his resignation.

While a new year offers the potential for rehabilitation, it’s questionable whether the current stewards of the once venerable Liberal brand can manage a successful turnaround.

The Liberal Party of Canada is searching for its sixth leader in seven years, if you include the two interim leaders, Bill Graham and Bob Rae.

Given the high turnover rate, you might expect the leading candidates to have a solid track record of accomplishments to offer Canadians. After all, the winner will become the chief national spokesperson for the battered Liberals.

Ideally, the top candidates should be able to articulate a clear, coherent vision and show how their past experiences demonstrate leadership skills that can implement this vision.

Among the current crop of leadership candidates, Marc Garneau, Martha Hall Findlay and Deborah Coyne are capable of having a mature conversation with Canadians about their respective careers and about how their respective backgrounds could qualify them to lead not just the Liberal Party, but the country.

The same cannot be said for the presumptive front runner, Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau’s resume is razor thin. His record of leadership on any policy issue is non-existent. Prior to entering politics his career accomplishments were, um, nothing to write home about.

He catapulted onto the national stage in September, 2000 with the delivery of a eulogy at the funeral of his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

No matter where you stand on Canada’s political spectrum, it cannot be argued that Pierre Trudeau lacked substance or style.

Justin is another matter. He has the style but the substance is still under construction.

Despite issuing a steady stream of policy pronouncements and op-ed pieces published under his name since his candidacy was announced, Justin Trudeau has yet to show us his true policy chops.

Anyone who has sat through a Trudeau speech when he talks extemporaneously may well have experienced head-scratching moments where the question arises whether he actually knows what he’s talking about.

Thanks to Gerald Butts, who helped to write the famous eulogy and who is now advising Trudeau’s campaign, the content of his speeches and his social media postings are carefully crafted and managed.

The Trudeau campaign has indicated they hope to pull off a Barack Obama-type victory in Canada.

That might be easier said than done.

Yes, Obama won the female, youth, Hispanic, urban, black and post-college votes in part through an aggressive social media campaign.

But at the core of Obama’s campaign stood the candidate, who didn’t position himself as a relic or a shadow of past glories.

Obama offered himself as a man of the present, who understood and could articulate the struggles, fears and hopes of voters.

Trudeau has yet to demonstrate that he, too, can do that.

At some point, the bubble wrap must be removed and Trudeau must be compelled to debate and defend the ideas and policies he apparently espouses.

It is only then Canadians will know if the revamping of the Liberal brand under his leadership will succeed or fail.

Like the majority of her classmates who graduated
from a private Mississauga college in the Accounting
and Payroll Administration program — at taxpayers’
expense — Jazz could not find relevant work after
completing the full-time, one year program.